Where'd You Go?
by Alic3Paig3
Summary: They came and took her brother away. All Mabel wants is her brother. Her hope is dwindling and there's not any options left.


Mabel glanced at the door for the millionth time. It wasn't like it would do any good, but she still looked, always hoping that one-day Dipper would walk in and sheepishly apologize for being away so long. But who was Mabel kidding, seven months and no word from Dipper there was no way he'd be coming back anytime soon. He'd even missed their sixteenth birthday. He gift was still upstairs sitting on his desk waiting for its recipient to open it.

Months ago, early in the morning before the sun had even peaked over the horizon agents had pounded on the front door, demanding that Dipper come with them. It was all a ruse, in the several years they'd been visiting Gravity Falls everyone knew that Dipper was the best paranormal investigator out there, and the agents had requested Dipper's help with supernatural disaster and without a second thought they were gone.

Dipper had promised to call Mabel by the end of the day if it took too long, giving both their Grunkles and Mabel quick hugs before disappearing. That was the last time any of them had seen Dipper. When no call came that night Mabel had panicked until Grunkle Ford had convinced her he'd forgotten, probably the kid was too absorbed in his research and would call the next day with apologies.

Day passed without word and their Grunkles finally stopped trying to soothe Mabel's worries and instead started trying to get in contact with Dipper. Each time they tried they were stone walled, with vague reassurances of Dippers safety and insistence that Dipper was too busy to speak. By the end of the week Grunkle Stan was furious and was calling every government agency trying to get information about Dipper. Grunkle Ford spent most of his time in the basement trying to work up a way to locate Dipper but every time he came up with nothing.

Finally, agents reappeared at their door announced that Mason Pines was now being held in federal custody for conspiracy against the government. The agent hadn't even been finished talking when Stan punched the guy completely knocking him out. Mabel had collapsed onto the floor in tears and hadn't even noticed Ford and Stan yelling at the agents.

Another several days went by until Stan summoned up the courage to call Mabel and Dipper's parents. He only asked them to come to Gravity Falls, unwilling to tell them the truth over the phone. The next day their parents were seated at the dinning table with Mabel, Stan and Ford sitting across from them as the three took turns relaying their stories of Gravity Falls. By the end of it their mother was in tears, not understanding how her baby could be gone, or how she'd never known that her two kids were involved with magic and the supernatural. Their father was livid yelling at their Grunkles accusing them of poisoning their children's mind and then letting their only son disappear without a trace. It wasn't until they tried to forcibly take Mabel home that things had hit rock bottom. Mabel refused to leave without Dipper, knowing that he'd come back here if he could. She was unwilling to leave the world they'd come to know behind.

Monsters, magic, and the mysteries of Gravity Falls were what made both sets of Pines twins who they were and not even one was willing to give that up. Eventually their parents calmed down enough to hear Mabel's side of things and in the end Mabel moved to Gravity Falls, and their parents returned to California without both of their kids. Mabel hated to see her parents leave with such sad looks on their faces, but they were unwilling to listen and understand. They'd agreed to let Mabel stay but only because she'd begged, only because they couldn't stand having one child without the other. Because for all of them the reminders of what they lost were too much.

The day after her parents left Mabel had gone up to their- her room and found Bill Cipher floating around the room glancing curiously at the odds and ends that were scattered about.

"Bill…" Mabel had completely forgotten about the dream demon. Even if they couldn't find Dipper, Bill could find him! He and Dipper had made a deal after they'd returned the summer after the event known as Weirdmageddon. Bill had followed Dipper around for weeks when the teen was first starting to learn magic. Dipper had valiantly ignored the demon until Bill started freely giving him tips on magic. In the end Dipper's need for knowledge had led to them creating a deal, one their Grunkles were completely unware of. Bill wouldn't make any other deals and would teach Dipper magic in return for Dipper helping Bill recover his powers. The deal was clumsy and a bit dangerous but as time passed Dipper grew to trust the demon.

Bill Cipher, their once enemy turned into mentor and best friend was Mabel's last hope at finding Dipper.

"Shooting Star! Where's Pine Tree? Been waiting-"

"Bill! Agents came and took him away we haven't been able to talk to Dipper for almost two weeks now! Please tell me you can find him and bring him home?" Mabel was almost begging. She just wanted her brother home.

"Someone is keeping Pine Tree away?" Bill had taken on a deep crimson hue, and fire had sprouted from his hands. Mabel gave a little flinch the last time she'd seen Bill so angry was when they'd been working on stopping him during Weirdmageddon.

Bill caught the flinched and worked to calm his own anger, "Don't worry Shooting Star I'll bring Pine Tree home." With the most human smile he'd ever given the dream demon disappeared.

Weeks passed before Bill showed himself again only this time it was in the mindscape while she was asleep. "Bill!" She attacked the demon with a great big hug happy to she him. I bet he was her to tell her that Dipper would be home soon! It wasn't until she really looked at Bill's face that her own smile fell away.

"I found Dipper. He's not doing well. I can't get through to him. They want Dipper to give them information on me and the other things in Gravity Falls. They think they can use us as weapons. Dippers locked him mind up. I taught him a spell to keep someone from going though his mind, but it keeps me out too. I'm sorry Mabel, I don't know how to help him. I'm going to keep trying to reach him."

Grunkle Stan and Ford had lost their hope of seeing Dipper again, even Mabel's own hope was starting to crumble. She tried to keep in mind that Bill, though she'd never fully trusted him, was trying his hardest to bring her brother back to her.

One-day Bill appeared to them as they were eating breakfast, Stan had quickly cast a magical barrier containing the demon, while Ford drew a weapon designed to harm the dream demon.

"Shooting Star… I got through to Pine Tree." The demon sagged against the floor looking hopeless and scared something that made even Stan and Ford hesitate. "He's sacrificing himself to save us all. They said if he turned over the journals and any information on their Author than he'd be free to go. They keep asking him about me too, about your family, and the people and things here in Gravity Falls. They're threatening the town. Pine Tree won't tell them what he knows." Bill had fat tears rolling down his body from his one eye.

The barrier holding the demon had shattered and the gun clattered to the ground. Dipper was making himself a sacrifice to save everyone else. He was hiding all the secrets of Gravity Falls, of his home, to protect it. Not even Ford or Mabel knew where Dipper kept the journals anymore, and no one knew how much information Dipper had added. There was no way to get Dipper back. No bargaining chip they could use to free him.

"He asked me to take care of you all. Even broke our deal. Shooting Star… I don't know what to do without Pine Tree." Mabel knelt and gathered the demon for a hug. She couldn't explain how human he sounded in that moment. Bill just stared at the ground wide eyed not hugging back completely confused by his own humanity.

Stan had collapsed back into his chair and was holding his head in his hands. Ford had stormed out heading to Dipper and Mabel's room. They could all softly hear Ford tearing apart Dippers room to find the journals, cursing when he found nothing. Ford tore apart the house looking for anything, anything that Dipper had kept that may have told them where all his research was.

Ford had finally come back and was yelling at Bill when all their final threads of hope snapped, "Cipher! Where did Dipper but all his research! You must know!"

Mabel was loosely gripping the demons hand as they sat curled up on the floor. "I don't know Sixer. The kid was smart he kept it hidden from me too."

Stan finally broke from his own stupor to interrogate the demon too, "Don't lie Cipher! No one can hide everything from you! You have to have some idea!"

"You think if I knew how to get him back I'd be here!? SOMEONE ELSE HAS MY PINE TREE. MINE. YOU DON'T THINK I WANT TO KILL EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHOS KEEPING PINE TREE AWAY?! YOU THINK I DON'T WANT HIM BACK!?" Bill was seething in rage his voice took on an echo that made the older Pines flinch back.

Mabel on the other hand just shook her head and quietly spoke, "I know where Dipper's research is. I know where the Journals are too." Bill's anger instantly vanished, but before anyone could get their hops up she crushed them even more, "They're on him. He has them. The journals he memorized and burned while we were in California. Everything else is stored in the Mindscape. He figured out a way to transfer real world items into the Mindscape and back again." With a sad smile she looked at Bill, "Not even you can get to them, he put them in his mindscape."

Bill floated in front of her frozen until his eye started watering again, "heh. Only Pine Tree would put something in the one place that no one could ever get it. Only he would be smart enough to over think something that much."

Stan slightly behind in terms of the Mindscape broke in, "So now what if Dipper has it then the equilateral nightmare can lead us to Dipper and we can break him out, or he can go get the information from the Mindscape."

Ford placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and shook his head, "We can't. Dipper figured out the one thing I've been working on since I returned from the portal. He put items from our dimension into Bills world. No one except the person who put them there can get them out. He successfully figured out how to hide things from the all-seeing eye. Dipper made it so only him could be connected to the supernatural side of Gravity Falls… he was expecting this wasn't he?"

Bill cringed, "Yeah Sixer. The kid mentioned it once, asked me if I could teach him how to protect his mind. Thought he just wanted to protect his memories, he was stupidly sentimental like that. Taught him the best spell I knew, there's no way anyone is breaking into his mind. Not even me."

Mabel slipped out while Stan, Ford and Bill tried to figure out a way around the spell. They couldn't give up without a fight. As she climbed the steps to her room, no longer theirs just hers her mind reminded her, she felt tears slid down her face. There on the floor was his gift no longer in pristine condition. It had probably gotten tossed around when Ford had searched Dippers things.

"Shooting star?" It seemed Bill had followed. She ripped the wrapping paper away, revealing the rectangular black box.

"Hey Bill, want to make a deal?"

"Star… what are you planning?" The demon normally would jump at the chance to make a deal, but Pine Tree asked him to keep her safe. Her safety came first. He wouldn't let Pine Tree down.

"I want to save Dip-dop."

Bill floated down and watched her open the box to reveal a beautifully crafted bracelet of gold. On the outside were the symbols of Bill's zodiac even spaced, and on the inside a picture of Bill with script.

"To guide you home." Bill's eye crinkled in happiness, Star thought he would always bring Dipper home. She wasn't wrong. "Alright. Let's bring Pine Tree home."

Without a handshake the deal was made. They were gonna save Dipper somehow, they'd figure it out.


End file.
